We're making Africa the first cashless continent.
In 2017, over half the population in Sub-Saharan Africa had no bank account. That's for good reason—the fees are too high, the closest branch can be miles away, and nobody takes cards. Without access to financial institutions, people are forced to keep their savings under the mattress. Small business owners rely on lenders who charge extortionate rates. Parents spend hours waiting in line to pay school fees in cash.
We're solving this by building financial services that just work: no account fees, instantly available, and accepted everywhere. In places where electricity, water and roads don't always work, you can still send money with Wave. In 2017, we launched a mobile app in Senegal for cash deposit, withdrawal, and peer-to-peer and business payments. Now, we have millions of users across six countries and are growing fast.
Our goal is to make Africa the first cashless continent and that's where you come in...
How you'll help us achieve it
Wave is now the largest financial institution in Senegal, with over 7 million users. And we’re still in the early days of our product roadmap and potential impact on people’s everyday lives.
Under the supervision of the Procurement Manager, the Senior Buyer will be responsible for researching and selecting products, services, and suppliers according to the budgeted needs of various departments, while complying with existing purchasing procedures.
You will help identify the best sources of supply from all sectors to grow our base of approved suppliers, manage relations with suppliers, and ensure that procurement is carried out optimally and timely.
In this role, you'll;
- Work closely with internal teams to understand, prepare requests, and respond effectively to their procurement needs.
- Implement a procurement plan based on cycle purchasing plans, to ensure a timely supply of goods and services.
- Evaluate vendors, taking into account qualitative criteria.
- Identify potential suppliers and ensure they meet the eligibility criteria for the list of approved suppliers and department requirements.
- Maintain and improve the approved supplier's base.
- Follow-up orders to ensure timely delivery and processing of payments according to agreed terms.
- Keep records of all purchasing activities and submit regular reports to the Procurement officer.
- Maintain procurement files, prepare progress reports, and ensure accurate documentation for payment processing.
- Monitor and report suppliers' operational performance, flag current or potential problems and inefficiencies, and participate in contract/purchase order amendments.
- Support and steer logistical operations for imports, in collaboration with freight forwarders.
- Any other task relating to or connected with their activity, as assigned by the direct line manager.
Key details
- Location: You'll work from our office in Abidjan.
- You must have work authorization in Côte d’Ivoire.
- This is a permanent position.
- Our salaries are competitive and calculated using a transparent formula. We run performance reviews twice a year and award bonuses to strong performers who have been with the company for more than 6 months.
- We run Performance Reviews twice a year and give bonuses or promotions to exceptional performers who have been at the company for more than 6 months.
- We offer generous health insurance for yourself and your dependents.
- We support working parents - we offer (26 weeks for mothers and 4 weeks for fathers) and subsidized child care when you return to work.
- We help you live your fullest life now- we subsidize gym memberships and fitness classes.
- Airtime reimbursement.
- Free food and a beautiful office space.
Requirements
- At least 4-5 years of relevant experience in procurement.
- A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Administration, Accounting, Business, Procurement and Supply Chain Management, Accounting, and logistics.
- Ability to communicate effectively (written and oral) in English or French.
- Great analytical skills.
- Ability to work in a multicultural environment.
- Demonstrable understanding of accounting principles.
- Experience in the private/financial sector will be a plus.
- Act with integrity and maintain confidentiality when dealing with sensitive information.
You might be a good fit if you
- Have good organizational skills.
- Are proficient in google workspace applications.
- Anticipate and can adapt to fast-changing conditions.
- Can maintain positive working relationships.
- Work under pressure, with a high level of focus.
- Can communicate effectively internally and with external customers.
- Are able to negotiate, while maintaining cordial relationships with vendors.
- We have a rapidly growing in-country team in Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso, The Gambia, and Uganda, plus remote team members spread across the world.
- We're deeply passionate about our mission of bringing radically affordable financial services to the people who need them most.
- We foster autonomy for our employees. You'll own your projects at every stage, from understanding the problem to monitoring your solution in production.
- We raised the largest Series A in Africa in 2021. Our world-class investors, include Founders Fund, Sequoia Heritage, Stripe, Ribbit Capital, Y Combinator, and Partech Africa.
- In 2023, we were on Y Combinator's top 50 companies by revenue.
How to apply
Fill out the form below, and upload a resume in English and a cover letter describing your interest in Wave and the role.
We review applications frequently and recommend that you apply to the role that most closely aligns with your skills, experience and career goals.
Wave is an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
What We Do
We're making Africa the first cashless continent.
In 2017, nearly 60% of adults in sub-Saharan Africa had no bank account. That's for good reason—the fees are too high, the closest branch can be miles away, and nobody takes cards. Without access to financial institutions, people are forced to keep their savings under the mattress. Small business owners rely on lenders who charge extortionate rates. Parents spend hours waiting in line to pay school fees in cash.
We're solving this by building financial services that just work: no account fees, instantly available, and accepted everywhere. In places where electricity, water and roads don't always work, you can still send money with Wave. In November 2017, we launched a mobile app in Senegal for cash deposit, withdrawal, and peer-to-peer and business payments. In 2019, we expanded to Cote D'Ivoire. Now, we have millions of users and are growing fast.
Our goal is to drive financial inclusion and make Africa the first cashless continent
